Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Musical entertainment to motorcycles and a movie night, cattle shows to cooking contests, tractors to truck pulls and teen night, face painting and the Freestyle MX Show to floriculture and forestry exhibits, harness racing to the Historical Pavilion, antiques and agricultural equipment to ATVs, pig scrambles and a petting zoo to princess and pirate parties, a demolition derby to a dog show, kids’ games to knitting demonstrations — these are just some of the many activities scheduled for the 155th Northern Maine Fair & Musical Festival, from July 31 through August 8. “That’s above and beyond the midway and Smokey’s Greater Shows,” said Andy LeBlanc, president of the Northern Maine Fair Association.
LeBlanc and other members of the fair board held a press conference July 23 to discuss what’s in store, using a slide presentation to showcase the many activities, shows and exhibits planned for this year’s event. Intentionally omitted from the slides but scheduled as usual were the midway activities. Present in addition to LeBlanc were: Lynwood Winslow, past president; Kevin McCartney, vice president; Roger Hoffses, grounds supervisor; Dora Leavitt; and Cheryl Boulier.
“We wanted to highlight the many other activities available, in addition to the games and rides. Smokey’s is back again this year, bringing a number of fun rides,” said LeBlanc. “We want to emphasize that there’s so much more to do and see at the fair than just the midway.”
While many of the activities and exhibits are ongoing, others are new. LeBlanc said this marks the fifth year for the Music Festival — an event that has grown in popularity, featuring bluegrass to rock and country performances.
“We’re very excited about this year’s fair. A lot of work has gone into it. New this year, we have the Rosaire-Zoppe Chimps who’ll be performing behind the Grandstand. We’ll have side-by-side ATV racing,” said LeBlanc. “Phase 2 of the Agricultural Building is complete and the structure will be in use during the fair, with antique farm equipment on display. The final phase will be completion of the ceiling.”
Returning festivities include food vendors, an antique car show, bingo, fireworks and harness racing — with some minor changes to the racing schedule.
“This will be our first year of afternoon harness racing. It saves on lighting. The horses tend to see shadows at night, so the change will prevent that,” said LeBlanc, noting fair officials won’t know the results (of the change) until after August 8.
“We’re trying to think outside the box. We don’t know (if the change will work) until we try it,” said LeBlanc.
McCartney said the fair provides a great opportunity to showcase what Aroostook County has to offer, and more.
“It’s a great place to have movies, programs. We’re working to expand (each year),” said McCartney.
Winslow said the decision to change racing from nighttime to daytime was made after reviewing what other tracks do.
“We work closely with our participants. We were the last organization to race at night during the fair,” said Winslow.
Hoffses said a lot has changed at Presque Isle’s track since the early days of racing.
“Years ago, we had to pay horses to come here. Now the track’s one of the best in the state. I think (the change to day racing) will work, although it may be a hardship to some,” said Hoffses, referring to individuals who have to work and can’t attend during business hours.
LeBlanc said there have been a number of changes over the years, both to offerings at the fair and to the fair leadership itself.
“The board is younger, with new members who have a lot of new ideas. Christa Galipeau is in charge of our Exhibition Hall and its makeover,” said LeBlanc. “We’ll continue to pursue new ideas and new ways to attract people to the fair.”
McCartney said this is a community fair and officials will continue to work to build a larger base of people, incorporating new ideas along the way to continue to improve the annual event.
“We want to get more young people to work with us. We welcome anyone interested in participating and getting involved in the fair,” said McCartney.
Hoffses was especially proud of the new Agricultural Building.
“We started the building last year, with zero dollars. Thanks goes out to the community and the wonderful group of people who raised the funds and built the structure for the fair,” said Hoffses. “The community supports that whole thing. They put us where we are today.”
McCartney said as a person from “away,” he was amazed at the number of sponsors, both individuals and businesses, who stepped up to make the dream a reality.
“We appreciate what they’ve done, ‘cuz it ain’t this way everywhere,” McCartney said.
Fair brochures have been placed in stores and banks from Dyer Brook to Canada, said Winslow.
“We’ve distributed them all over the place. We put them in stores, businesses and local newspapers,” They’re free and provide listings for all fair activities, including dates and times,” said Winslow.
The gates will officially open at 8 a.m. Friday, July 31, with the fair coming to a close Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11 p.m. For a full listing of dates, times and activities scheduled, check the booklet or visit online: www.NorthernMaineFair.com.
“We just need some good weather for folks to enjoy all we have to offer,” said LeBlanc. “We hope to see you at the fair.”
According to the National Weather Service Web site, www.noaa.gov, conditions look favorable for the start of the fair, with highs Friday through Monday predicted to be in the upper 70s to low 80s during the day and overnight temperatures hovering around 60 degrees, with only scattered showers in the forecast through Monday.
